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Brazil
Mater Divinae Gratiae Vice Province
The jewel of the Brazilian Vice Province is the Collegio in Sao Paulo. Thousands of students from the poorest sections of the city get a chance at a good education and the possibility to go on to the University or a good technical school. The children range in age from 2 years to 18 years; The school has three sessions (7 a.m. to 12 noon; 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.; 7p.m. to 9 p.m. for women). The preschool boasts of an on site zoo allowing the children from the poor favellas to see nature up close.
Also in Sao Paulo, Penteado area is our Women Promotion Center. Recently renovated, thanks to generous benefactors, the school provides training in cooking, sewing, industrial suit making, dress design, and countless crafts, knitting, crocheting and native art work. Each day 80 women arrive at the center. They begin with a half hour of prayer, and continue with spiritual and psychological training sessions.
At the Motherhouse in Sao Paulo, there are daily sessions for the local senior women of the area. Most of them are from very poor sections of the town; many of them have been abused by their husbands. It is a special time for them when they can come out of their shanties and are able to spend time with other women their age. They learn meditation, aerobics, dancing, tai chi and yoga. One of the Junior Sisters runs the program for approximately 120 women who come each day.
Miracatu is a good two-hour drive from Sao Paulo. It is a very poor town that survives by the cultivation of bananas on large plantations. The only structure of significance is the bus depot. Anyone traveling to Sao Paulo or Rio by bus must stop at this depot. It is here that many little girls 6-9 years of age are sold to men for illicit sexual pleasure. In 1992 the Vice Province decided to take a stand on this. With the help of benefactors the Sisters were able to restore their old school building and convent so it could accommodate the girls. The Sisters would go each day and watch at the station. When a little girl would be sold they would buy the girl back from the man that purchased her. Some families sell their daughters for an hour; some for the day and some, outright. The Sisters presently have 78 little girls with them. Since 1992 hundreds of girls have been rescued by the Sisters. All have received a good education, learned marketable skills, and the opportunity to go to the University. Today the local government provides food for the girls and is slowly working to change conditions at the station.
At Peruibe-Caraguava the Sisters have a K-12 school for the local children. This town is a shore town with many poor families. Here many children are kidnapped and murdered in order to procure their organs. The Sisters, with the help of benefactors, have secured the school with a beautiful wall and electronic gates. Watchman present at all times make sure that the children are safe and get home safely.
Many poor women live on the outskirts of town. The Sisters have built simple homes for them. The women call themselves the Comunidade de S. Lucia. More than 200 women, most single moms, and sadly most of them afflicted with AIDS receive help from the Sisters. Each week the Sisters bring bags of groceries to them and their children. On weekends the Sisters teach catechism and prepare the children for the Sacraments.
A thirty-two hour bus ride will get you to our farthest mission in Brazil on the border of Bolivia--Vilhena! For more than 25 years the Sisters have been providing for these people in the extreme west of Brazil. When the Sisters first arrived the people were so poor, many did not have adequate clothing. Today most of the people have work and the school has classes from K-12 with about 1000 students. There is one priest in the town responsible for 40 parishes! The Bishop of the Diocese is responsible for 52 parishes! We must pray for good priestly vocations! At the present time, the Sisters perform weddings, funerals, baptisms and communion services until the priest returns from his rounds of the parishes.
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Brazil, a nation the size of the lower 48 United States, has an advanced developing economy. The income per capita is $7,480. The capital is Brasilia. Political and labor strikes and demonstrations occur sporadically in urban areas causing temporary disruption to public transportation. In addition, criminal organizations, during 2006, staged several violent campaigns against public institutions in Sao Paulo leading to a large number of deaths. Criminals operate along the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. The are involved in the trafficking of illicit goods; some individuals in the area are financially supporting foreign terrorist organizations. Crime throughout Brazil has reached very high levels. The Brazilian police and the Brazilian press report that the rate of crime continues to rise, especially in the major urban centers – though it is also spreading in rural areas. Brazil’s murder rate is more than four times higher than that of the U.S. Rates for other crimes are similarly high. The majority of crimes are not solved.
Caution is advised with regard to nighttime travel through more rural areas and satellite cities due to reported incidents of roadside robberies that randomly target passing vehicles. Robbery and “quicknapping” outside of banks and ATM machines are common. In a “quicknapping,” criminals abduct victims for a short time in order to receive a quick payoff from the family, business or the victim’s ATM card. | ||||
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